As practice, try telling a story with your b-roll and planning out a shot sequence. For example, your subject might open a door from the hallway, walk into their office space, sit down at their desk, open their laptop, and begin typing. Seems simple, right? But a shot sequence showing this 10-second scenario might consist of six or more different b-roll clips.
This is just the tip of the iceberg as the surgance of video continues to climb. As Influencer and Best-Selling Author Joel Comm points out, “Instead of designing a graphic ad that’s likely to be ignored, you can create a simple video ad that people will actually watch and might even share.” And at the end of the day, that’s the point, creating something that viewers want to watch and spread across the web.
Today, YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world behind Google. Whenever someone wants to learn something visually, they head there. You've likely done it yourself countless times. So just ask yourself what you could teach in your business that would help consumers solve some pain point? What got you into business in the first place?
Sadly, posting a video on an otherwise blank page won’t do much for your SEO. Make sure you embed your video on a page full of relevant and informative content. This will let search engine crawlers know you have not only engaging multimedia on your site, but that you provide a ton of valuable and useful information. Be sure the content relates to your video — sometimes, posting the video transcript can help a lot, too.
"Convert" videos may include a webinar filled with tactical advice, product demos sent via email, landing page promotional videos, case studies, or more in-depth explainer and how-to videos. For example, while an "attract" video might provide a quick tip for nailing a sales pitch, a "convert" video could be an animated explainer video that breaks down the inbound sales methodology.
Earned distribution, like owned, is free. You have relatively little to lose using it other than time and effort, but unlike owned and paid, the payoff can be drastically more unpredictable. From SEO efforts that boost your search presence, to building relationships with influencers you’ve never met, you never quite know what your ROI will be — it can be enormous or it can fizzle to an end. But don’t skip earned distribution altogether! Take a little more time to think strategically about which earned channels will help you accomplish your video goals.
Another good news is that your videos don’t have to be perfect. It’s the content that matters! Latest research shows that users are mostly put off by videos that don’t explain the product or service clearly enough. Low quality and poor design didn’t matter nearly as much. So it’s fair to say that video is like pizza – when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good!
The first step in creating your video strategy is outlining your video’s goals. Ideally, you’ll want to create a video forExtended ArticleThe Right Video Content for Your Marketing FunnelBefore you embark on creating a video marketing strategy, it’s important to know what stage of the marketing funnel you’re targeting. This is important… Read More every stage of the marketing funnel. But, initially, you’ll have to decide which stage is the most important to target.
How can you optimize the video you already have? Can you add a stronger call to action? Can you share it on another platform? Think creatively about how to further your video’s reach and effectiveness. If you want more exposure, sharing your video on a new channel could help. If you’re underwhelmed by your click-throughs or conversions, see if you can add an end card with a bigger CTA, adjust the description copy, or create an incentive for clicking through, like a limited-time discount or some kind of contest.

One of the most important aspects of post-production is editing your video footage. Of course, that involves cutting and splicing together your b-roll, interviews, and lifestyle footage to create your story. But it also involves adjusting other visual elements, like white balance, color, and clarity, to accurately represent the story you want to relate. These edits will create the entire look and feel of your video, which highly affects its branding. After all, when you think of an Apple store, you don’t think of dim, romantic lighting, so make sure your color edits reflect your creative vision.

And always shop around Extended ArticleHow Much Does It Cost to Produce a Video?Video is probably the most compelling way to tell your company’s brand story. But video shoots are difficult and time consuming to organize, and… Read More — not just literally, but figuratively. Ask industry experts how much they charge for certain services (scripting, sound editing, social media distribution, etc.) and how much you might expect to pay if you hired a freelancer or full-time employee instead. Most agencies are more than happy to give you any information you might want, or guide you to others who can better help.

Next, consider your audience and the overall mood for your production. Are you targeting a small audience that will appreciate the newest, underground hip-hop track, or do you need something that will appeal to many demographics? Are you creating a practical product tutorial or an upbeat event recap? Be sure to choose music that enhances the overall tone of your video.

Are you launching a new product or a service? Create a video to show how it works. 98% of users say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. That is why 45% of businesses who use video marketing said that they have an explainer video on their home page. Of those businesses, 83% said that their homepage explainer video was effective.

A product videoExtended ArticleWhy a Product Video for Your Ecommerce Company is NecessaryPicture this: You’re looking for a new electric bike online, and you find what seems to be the perfect one for a fraction of… Read More tells your audience about your best-selling products or services and their top features. It shows your product in action and helps increase consumer confidence in your company or brand.
Depending on your industry and the type of video you create, your video could benefit from more traditional types of publicity, like a press release or publication on a trade website. Working with a PR agency could be beneficial, but you could also reach out directly to site administrators on niche sites related to your field, like health and wellness sites, fitness sites, major food websites, tech sites, and more. Ask to be featured in their newsletter or send them your press release with a link to your video directly — the more official your campaign, the better!
On the surface, the how of video marketing is pretty simple: Your brand creates videos that, in some way or another, promote your company, drive sales, raise awareness of your products or services, or engage your customers. In practice, it’s a little more complicated. Like many of your marketing efforts, video marketing is data driven, so you’ll want to monitor various metrics and track customer engagement.

The benefits of a planned marketing strategy are numerous. Business owners often rely solely on their intuition to make business decisions. While this informal knowledge is important in the decision-making process, it may not provide you with all the facts you need to achieve marketing results. A marketing strategy will help you define business goals and develop activities to achieve them.